Polymers which exhibit high green tensile strength are important because such materials have high tensile strength without the necessity of curing the materials. When such polymers which possess substantial green tensile strength are hydrogenated, the resulting materials possess the additional advantage of having improved environmental resistance or stability, as compared to the unhydrogenated polymers. Materials which are within the classification of materials called thermoplastic elastomers are elastomeric (i.e., rubbery) and are thermoplastic (i.e., moldable with heat); and the scraps generated in fabricating various articles from such materials can be directly reclaimed and reused without the necessity of performing any degradative or other processing steps prior to reusing the scraps.
Thermoplastic elastomeric polymers which possess substantial green tensile strength can be used in the fabrication of belts, hoses, and various molded articles for application in automotive, medical, and houseware fields. Other important applications include the areas of protective coatings and adhesives, especially pressure-sensitive adhesive films applied as hot melt compositions.